The Jewish History Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

TORCH

Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe started The Jewish History Podcast in 2016 with the goal of making Jewish History interesting and accessible. Over the course of the years, episodes have covered the vast expanse of Jewish history, from Abraham to Moses and Joshua, to great Sages in modern times, to Israeli wars. Each episode is dedicated to either a theme of Jewish history, a great personality of Jewish history, an era of Jewish history, or a transcendent event of our people’s history. We learn about our people’s triumphs and high-points, and of course, our nadirs. The Chosen People have experienced an unprecedented 4,000 year story, and it is gloriously retold in The Jewish History Podcast. Please email any questions, comments, or feedback to rabbiwolbe@gmail.com.

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91 episodes
Updated Mar 9, 2025

Episodes91

Newest first

May 8, 2018 · 53 min
Ep. 51: The History of the Sanhedrin (Part One: From Moshe until the Destruction of the Second Temple)
The Sanhedrin, the highest halachic authority in the Land comprised of the 71 greatest scholars in the Jewish world, was the Supreme Court of the Jewish Nation. It was founded by Moshe about a year after the Revelation at Sinai and continued almost uni...
Apr 25, 2018 · 1 hr 6 min
Ep. 50: The Story of King David (Part Two: David, King of Israel)
David is now the undisputed king of Israel, but before him lay several key tasks: Of course the various Philistine and Canaanite tribes continue to be a pest, and David must subdue them to create lasting stability. Most importantly, however,
Apr 18, 2018 · 48 min
Ep. 49: The Story of King David (Part One: Rise to Monarchy)
King David was anointed as the second king of Israel by the prophet Samuel and is considered the archetype of the Jewish king who earned the mantle of monarchy for his descendants forever. He authored the Psalms,
Mar 21, 2018 · 58 min
Ep. 48: The History of the Jewish Calendar (Plus Annual Fundraising Appeal at GiveTORCH.org)
Annual Appeal To my dear listeners, At TORCH we have a simple philosophy: We give stimulating and engaging and relevant Torah teachings every day. But there is one day a year that we ask our friends, students, supporters and partners to give to TORCH.
Feb 28, 2018 · 59 min
Ep. 47: The Purim Story
The Purim Story begins with King Achashverosh, the Persian king who ruled from Hodu until Cush (India until Ethiopia), making a massive feast for all the ministers and noblemen of Persia and Media that lasted for 180 days.
Feb 22, 2018 · 37 min
Ep. 46: The Purim Backstory
Purim is a holiday celebrated by Jews worldwide on the 14th day of the month of Adar, and in Jerusalem and walled cities on the fifteenth day of Adar. It commemorates the story of the salvation of the Jewish nation from the genocidal plans of Haman and...
Feb 15, 2018 · 1 hr 13 min
Ep. 45: A History of Tefillah (Jewish Prayer), Liturgy, and the Siddur
Prayer is a central aspect of Jewish life. The second mishnah in Pirkei Avos identifies the three pillars that uphold the world, one of them being prayer. Prayer also occupies a large part of Jewish observance: we pray thrice daily,
Jan 2, 2018 · 1 hr 14 min
Ep. 44: Jerusalem: A History of the Holy City from the Bible to Bibi
The ancient and historic city of Jerusalem is the most contested piece of real estate on the planet. For Jews, it is the center of the world; it is the hallowed grounds upon which Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob treaded and prayed; it was the site of the two...
Dec 12, 2017 · 48 min
Ep. 43: The History of Chanukah: Hellenism, Heroism and Hasmoneans
The holiday of Chanukah commemorates the triumph of the Maccabean Revolt over the oppressive regime of Antiochus IV and the Seleucid Empire. In this podcast we tell the story of this miraculous victory of the weak over the mighty; the few over the many...
Nov 15, 2017 · 48 min
Ep. 42: Rabbi Nosson Tzvi Finkel (Part Two: The Mussar Ideology)
The burgeoning yeshiva movement today, and indeed the fact that yeshivos did not go extinct a century ago, is due to Rabbi Nosson Tzvi Finkel, known the world over as the Alter of Slabodka, more than any one person.
Nov 9, 2017 · 51 min
Ep. 41: Rabbi Nosson Tzvi Finkel (Part One: The Slabodka Revolution)
Rabbi Nosson Tzvi Finkel, known the world over as the Alter of Slabodka, was and is the greatest builder of Torah of the last several centuries. The burgeoning yeshiva movement today, and indeed the fact that yeshivos did not go extinct a century ago,
Oct 19, 2017 · 58 min
Ep. 40: Rabbi Chaim Soloveichik and the Brisker Method of Talmudic Analysis
Rabbi Chaim Soloveichik, the scion of a prestigious rabbinical family, was the father of a new penetrating, incisive, and brilliant approach to Talmudic study and analysis that took the Yeshiva world by storm and is now ubiquitously accepted in the Yes...
Sep 13, 2017 · 1 hr 16 min
Ep. 39: Rabbi Yisrael Salanter and the Mussar Movement
By the 1840s, ferocious winds of changes were sweeping through the Jewish nation, and leaving wreckage and carnage in the wake of their consuming vortexes. The spiritual standing of the nation was under assault from without and vulnerable from within.
Sep 1, 2017 · 52 min
Ep. 38: Rabbi Chaim of Volozhin and the Mother of all Yeshivos
To see pictures of the devastation of the TORCH Centre please visit http://rabbiwolbe.com/harvey/ To make a donation to the rebuilding of the TORCH Centre please visit rebuildtorch.com Rabbi Chaim of Volozhin was a man of extraordinary character and sc...
Aug 16, 2017 · 48 min
Ep. 37: Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch and Torah Im Derech Eretz
19th Century German Jewry was faced unprecedented, hitherto unseen threats to its continuity. Due to the rise of Reform and the Haskalah movements bent on drawing Jews away from Torah, coupled with the circumstances – the Emancipation and the relaxing ...
Aug 2, 2017 · 40 min
Ep. 36: Rabbi Moshe Sofer (Chasam Sofer) and his Hardline Response to Haskalah
The Haskalah movement that swept through European Jewry in the 19th Century, brought about several different responses from what became known as the Orthodox communities. In Hungary, Rabbi Moshe Sofer, known by the name of one his books as the “Chasam ...
Jul 19, 2017 · 49 min
Ep. 35: Emancipation, Haskalah, and Reform: The Zeitgeist of 1800s European Jewry
The 19th Century was a tumultuous time of fundamental change, opportunity, and upheaval for the Jewish people. For centuries, the Jews of Europe were subject to systemic marginalization: They were second-class citizens,
Jul 5, 2017 · 50 min
Ep. 34: Great Jewish Personalities: The Gaon of Vilna
Rabbi Eliyahu the son of Rabbi Shlomo Zalman Kramer (1720-1797), known to all as the Gaon (genius) of Vilna, or simply the “Gaon”, was a legendary and towering figures of Jewish history. While he never headed a yeshiva, held rabbinic office,
Jun 21, 2017 · 55 min
Ep. 33: Great Jewish Personalities: Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzatto (Ramchal)
Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzatto (1707-1746) was a transformative paragon of Kabbalah, Mussar and Jewish theology. Despite living a short and tumultuous life, Ramchal’s writings and teachings were astonishingly prolific,
Jun 7, 2017 · 51 min
Ep. 32: A History of False Messiahs
Belief in the coming of Messiah is a critical component of Jewish faith that is enshrined in Maimonides’ Thirteen Principles of Faith. Sadly, ignorance of what exactly Messiah is, what he supposed to do, and how to vet him,

The Jewish History Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

Ep. 51: The History of the Sanhedrin (Part One: From Moshe until the Destruction of the Second Temple)

Ep. 50: The Story of King David (Part Two: David, King of Israel)

Ep. 49: The Story of King David (Part One: Rise to Monarchy)

Ep. 48: The History of the Jewish Calendar (Plus Annual Fundraising Appeal at GiveTORCH.org)

Ep. 47: The Purim Story

Ep. 46: The Purim Backstory

Ep. 45: A History of Tefillah (Jewish Prayer), Liturgy, and the Siddur

Ep. 44: Jerusalem: A History of the Holy City from the Bible to Bibi

Ep. 43: The History of Chanukah: Hellenism, Heroism and Hasmoneans

Ep. 42: Rabbi Nosson Tzvi Finkel (Part Two: The Mussar Ideology)

Ep. 41: Rabbi Nosson Tzvi Finkel (Part One: The Slabodka Revolution)

Ep. 40: Rabbi Chaim Soloveichik and the Brisker Method of Talmudic Analysis

Ep. 39: Rabbi Yisrael Salanter and the Mussar Movement

Ep. 38: Rabbi Chaim of Volozhin and the Mother of all Yeshivos

Ep. 37: Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch and Torah Im Derech Eretz

Ep. 36: Rabbi Moshe Sofer (Chasam Sofer) and his Hardline Response to Haskalah

Ep. 35: Emancipation, Haskalah, and Reform: The Zeitgeist of 1800s European Jewry

Ep. 34: Great Jewish Personalities: The Gaon of Vilna

Ep. 33: Great Jewish Personalities: Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzatto (Ramchal)

Ep. 32: A History of False Messiahs